1. Field of the Invention
This specification relates to a refrigerator with an inner door, and particularly, to a refrigerator with an inner door inside a door.
2. Background of the Invention
A refrigerator is an apparatus for keeping foods or the like for a long-term of time with maintaining storage chambers, such as a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber defined within a cabinet, in a predetermined temperature range. Depending on configurations, refrigerators may be divided into various types, such as a side-by-side refrigerator, a bottom freezer type refrigerator and the like. In addition, for user convenience, a refrigerator equipped with a dispenser or a so-called home bar, which allows a user to take drinks or seasoning without opening a refrigerating chamber door, is produced.
The home bar includes a home bar case located inside the refrigerating chamber door, and a home bar door to open or close a front opening of the home bar case. Here, the home bar door is disposed at the front surface of the refrigerating chamber door to allow a user to approach the inside of the refrigerating chamber by opening only the home bar door. In some cases, an inner door cover for opening or closing the inside of the refrigerating chamber within the home bar case may further be disposed. That is, the front and rear surfaces of the home bar case are all open, and accordingly the home bar door and the inner door cover for opening or closing such openings may be individually disposed.
In the related art, the inner door cover is coupled to the home bar case to be slidable in a vertical direction or coupled to the home bar door by hinges to be rotatable in the vertical direction. Accordingly, in order to take out foods or the like stored in the home bar or bring such foods or the like in the home bar for storage by opening the inner door cover, the inner door should be held with one hand to prevent it from being slid or rotated down, which causes inconvenience in use.
To overcome such inconvenience, the inner door cover may be maintained in an open state. However, in this case, if the refrigerating chamber door is closed in the open state of the inner door cover due to a user's mistake or other reasons, the inner door cover may interfere with other components such as a shelf, thereby being in danger of damage. Especially, for a French-type refrigerator, a cold air leakage preventing member for sealing between two refrigerating chamber doors is disposed in the front surface of the refrigerating chamber. Hence, interference between the inner door cover and the cold air leakage preventing member should be avoided.
Also, the inner cover door is made of a transparent material to facilitate recognition of foods or the like stored inside. However, the transparent material has a low strength as compared with an opaque material. Accordingly, when the inner cover door is fabricated larger than expected, it may be easily destroyed.